Mailbag: Heat deny report of making trade offer for Kyrie. What can we take away from this?

It began with an ESPN report that indicated the Heat had made a trade offer to the Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving. And it continued with a strong denial from the Heat that any offer had been made to Cleveland.

What can we take away from this series of events? We answer that question and more in the latest installment of the Heat mailbag.

Kyrie Irving #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on against the Golden State Warriors during the first half of Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 7, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Kevin: The Heat denied an ESPN report that they had made an offer to the Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving. What’s going on?

Anthony Chiang: As Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and general manager Koby Altman said in a press conference earlier this week, things are “fluid.” ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski listed the Heat among at least six teams that have made offers for Irving, along with the Spurs, Clippers, Suns, Timberwolves and Knicks. Wojnarowski went as far as to say that Miami is willing to deal point guard Goran Dragic and forward Justise Winslow “as centerpieces for an Irving trade.” But just a few hours after that report surfaced, the Heat publicly denied that any offer had been made to the Cavaliers for Irving. Did Miami make an offer to Cleveland? It could be a matter of semantics. There is one thing we can take from this, though: offering Dragic and Winslow isn’t going to be enough to land Irving. If the Heat want the disgruntled point guard, it looks like they would have to include Josh Richardson or rookie Bam Adebayo, who becomes trade eligible Tuesday, as possible add-ons in an offer to Cleveland. Another takeaway from this whole thing? Basketball never stops. We’re a few days away from the start of August and we’re discussing trade rumors. They call this an OFFseason? Ha.

@anilsbtb: Should the Heat go after Briante Weber after he was waived by the Hornets?

Anthony Chiang: Some believe the Heat need a true backup point guard behind Goran Dragic. But there’s one problem, the Heat don’t believe that. With so many guards on its roster, Miami would like to keep the backup point guard spot open to help create some minutes for Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson. Weber still wouldn’t have much playing time if he ended up back in Miami. But the Heat have always been intrigued by Weber’s skill set and ability to defend, so you can’t rule out the possibility of a reunion.